Tsunoda climbs back into a Red Bull at Barcelona
Yuki Tsunoda is no longer on the Formula 1 grid full time, but on Tuesday 17 June 2026 he was right where he wanted to be: strapped into a Red Bull at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Japanese driver completed a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) run in the RB21, the 2025 machine, and racked up more than 120 laps under a hot Spanish sky.
That mileage works out to roughly two full Grand Prix distances in a single day. For a man who lost his race seat after the 2025 season and now serves as Red Bull’s reserve, it was both a workout and a welcome reminder of what the cockpit feels like.
His reaction afterwards left little doubt about the mood. “Still smiling after two race distances in the Barcelona heat,” Tsunoda posted. “So good to be back behind the wheel, feels like I never left.”
Why Red Bull put him back in the car
TPC sessions allow teams to run older machinery outside the official test calendar, and they have become a useful way to keep reserve drivers ready. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies framed Tsunoda’s outing as a deliberate move to keep one of their own sharp.
“He’s part of the Red Bull family, and we took the very, very, very first opportunity to put him back in the car,” Mekies said. The message was clear: a reserve driver is only valuable if he can step in at full speed, and seat time in a recent car is the best way to maintain that edge.
For Tsunoda, the run also doubled as a physical test. Two race distances in genuine heat is demanding on neck, arms and concentration, exactly the kind of load a stand-in needs to be able to handle if a call comes mid-season.
The seat change that reshaped Red Bull’s 2026 line-up
Tsunoda’s role today is the product of a winter reshuffle. After 2025 he was moved out of the race seat alongside Max Verstappen, with Isack Hadjar promoted from Racing Bulls to partner the four-time champion for 2026. That left Tsunoda in the reserve position, still inside the wider Red Bull structure rather than out of it.
The change has been a recurring talking point in the paddock, and it sits alongside a broader Mercedes storyline that fans have followed closely. Our coverage of how Mika Hakkinen sized up the Russell-Antonelli pairing shows how quickly a driver’s standing can shift once a team commits to a new combination.
Barcelona itself has been a frequent reference point this season. The same circuit featured in our look at how Kimi Antonelli described the Catalan track as tricky while Mercedes searched for a clean answer to their pace questions.
A difficult campaign for Red Bull
Tsunoda’s positive day came against the backdrop of a tough 2026 for the team. Red Bull have managed just one podium so far this year, taken by Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix. That run of results has kept attention on the squad’s overall form and on the depth of its driver pool.
In that context, having an experienced reserve who can jump into a car and immediately bank meaningful mileage carries real weight. Tsunoda knows the modern Red Bull, knows the engineers, and clearly still has the appetite for long stints.
Below is a quick snapshot of where things stand for the driver and the team.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Driver | Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull reserve |
| Car | Red Bull RB21 (2025) |
| Venue and date | Barcelona-Catalunya, 17 June 2026 |
| Laps completed | 120+ (about two race distances) |
| 2026 race seat | Isack Hadjar, alongside Max Verstappen |
What comes next
The Barcelona session is not expected to be a one-off. Tsunoda is scheduled for another TPC outing in Austria, which would give him a second block of recent mileage and keep his preparation rolling through the European stretch of the calendar.
Until then, the takeaway from Catalunya is simple. A driver who could have faded into the background after losing his seat instead spent a long, hot day proving he is still ready, and clearly enjoying every lap of it.
The wider title fight continues to dominate headlines, and our reporting on how George Russell wanted a smooth Barcelona weekend captures the kind of pressure that surrounds every team trying to find consistency. For Tsunoda, the immediate goal is narrower but no less important: stay sharp, stay quick, and be ready if the phone rings.
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